Baby Sydney Milsten

Sydney is 6 months old! (3 months corrected age)

2010-02-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sydney is doing great! Just had another round of shots at the doctor's today and she's 12 lbs 1 oz and 24" long! She's doing everything she should be doing at her corrected age of 3 months old. She smiles, copies my sounds, rolls over, baby talks, supports her head, does push ups, etc etc...
Here's a few pictures within the last few weeks...

Sydney update!

2009-11-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

Bath time! Sydney loves bath time! And every time that I wash her little fingers she automatically puts them in her mouth. So I've learned to rinse them off asap!

Sydney having fun staring at Daddy! She'll just stare at you and move her little mouth and make funny faces! Soon enough she will be smiling! I know she is going to do it soon!

I just love this picture! And this is what Sydney and Mommy do most of the time! We just love to snuggle!

Sydney sleeping on her tummy! She seems to like this! Believe me, I was close by! The nurses and doctors recommend that babies sleep on their backs, but you can have them on their tummies as long as you're close by!

Happy 30th Birthday Uncle Mike! We dressed in our Seahawks attire for the occassion! Sydney's dress was actually too big, but it worked! Sydney is only wearing newborn size, but in this picture she has on 0-3 months size.

Sydney in her cute little 80's outfit! We were getting ready to leave and Daddy took just a second to smile for a picture!

Sydney playing with friends! Layton is two weeks older than Sydney and little Chase is actually how old Sydney is as far as her corrected age goes! So for preemies you have two ages to go by; her birthday (gestational age) and then her due date (corrected age). So in other words, Sydney is as old as Layton, but will grow at Chase's rate for the first two to three years.

Here she is in her little pooh bear outfit next to a beehive!

Oh Halloween night we dressed up to hand out candy to the neighbor kids! Jayson was a german, Sydney was Pooh Bear and I was Miss Piggy!

Our little pumpkin! Sydney was actually crying and stopped to yawm just a little!

Well let's see... Sydney has been home now for just over a month! She is at least 8lbs and is doing really well! It is so much fun to have her home! Sydney will go for her 4 month shots at the end of this month. My goodness how time flies! She has had a couple of doctor visits, which turned out to be nothing. . . just a new mommy being over protective. :) We haven't been out too much because honestly I've been worried about the horrible flu season. We have visited a few friends' houses and grandma's house and then we also went to a couple birthday parties. One for Auntie Sarah and one for Uncle Mike. We had fun at Halloween and passed out candy to the neighbor kids. We all got dressed up! Overall things are great! Each day gets stronger and grows a little bit bigger!

Good Report at the Doctor's office today!

2009-10-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

Sydney met Lynne for the first time today! Yes, they both planned to wear purple just to have their picture taken! :)

Mommy tried Sydney in one of her swings today. Sydney seemed to like it, because eventually she fell asleep!

Another bath! Sydney loves baths! She squirms a little at first and then becomes very relaxed and really enjoys them!

Kelan came, with Auntie Sarah, to meet Miss Sydney for the first time!

Grandma Nancy just finishing one of Sydney's diaper changes last night!

Over all Sydney had a great day! Last night she got a little fussy and most likely had an upset stomach. I felt so badly for her as she cried and cried. Having a bath seemed to help her a little bit. Then today I tried Sydney in one of her swings and she liked this as well! Then this afternoon Sydney met her doctor! He said that she looked good! Sydney now weighs 6lbs and is 19 inches long! Sydney is still growing! Mommy and Daddy ended up getting shots before we left, which was a total surprise! If you know me, you know that I don't like needles at all. But I made it through and now Jayson and I shouldn't get the flu. Just a good report for the day and not too much is new!

It's been way to long! But there is good news, if you haven't heard!

2009-10-08T15:20:00.001-07:00

SYDNEY MET HER AUNTIE NICOLE AND COUSIN JAYDA!

SYDNEY MEETING GRANDPA DORAN AND SEEING GRANDMA NANCY AGAIN!

JUST OUT FOR A NAP!

GRANDMA B & SYDNEY AND ZEKIAH IN THEIR NEW PUMPKIN HATS!

COUSIN JAYDA, COUSIN KENZIE, GREAT AUNT SANDY AND SYDNEY!

GRANDMA B MADE SYDNEY A PUMPKIN HAT ALSO!

SYDNEY MET SHANE TOO!

SYDNEY MEETING COUSINS NICK, BRITTANY & MISS BOBBI ANN!

SYDNEY AND HER GREAT UNCLE BOB!

SYDNEY AND UNCLE DAMON!

SYDNEY MEETING AMY!

SYDNEY MEETING MARTHA!

JAYSON, UNCLE MIKE AND SYDNEY!

MEETING AUNTIE SARAH AND GRANDPA MIKE!

SYDNEY AND PAPA JAY!

SYDNEY AND COUSIN ZEKIAH!

DADDY AT HOME WITH SYDNEY!

OPA AND SYDNEY!

SYDNEY AND HER PUMKIN HAT FROM KAARIN!

MEETING COUSIN JAYDA!

FINALLY HOME! SYDNEY LOOKS TINY IN HER NEW CAR SEAT! WELCOME HOME SYDNEY!

SYDNEY ON OCT 5TH! THANK YOU UNCLE MIKE FOR MY "I WAS BORN AT TACOMA GENERAL" T-SHIRT

NEW STRAWBERRY HAT FROM THE BRIDGES'!

"ROOMING IN" FOR THE FIRST NIGHT!

HI SYDNEY! DADDY LOVES YOU!

SYDNEY AND A DIAPER RASH. :(

MOMMY & SYDNEY!

SYDNEY AT 9 WEEKS!

DADDY & SYDNEY SNUGGLING

NEW LITTLE OUTFIT & HAT! SEPT 27, 2009

GETTING READY TO SNOOZE!

8 WEEKS OLD! & STILL ON CANULA!

GRANMDA NANCY & SYDNEY!

BATH TIME!

Well, how does a person sum up the last 3 weeks? I was very busy as I started to visit our little Sydney a few times a day in the hospital. I became very comfortable with a lot of the nurses over the past few weeks. Seeing Sydney multiple times a day was definitely a routine thing (of course)! Before Sydney could leave the hospital, she had to be a pro at eating and breathing! It took her a little while, but she can do both of those things now! After like 4 or 5 trials of being taken off of the canula, Sydney perfected it! And then the next night Sydney was put on "demand"! This means that her feeding tube was removed from her nose, and that she eats when she's hungry. The only exception is that the nursing staff would not let her go past 4 hours without eating. And of course, with this trial, she did GREAT! She continued to gain weight over these last 3 weeks! Sydney was doing so well that some nurses were saying that we might not be in the hospital really soon. And that we possibly might be leaving within 7 to 10 days. And you know they were right! All of a sudden the staff was talking about having Jayson and I "room in" at the hospital. "Rooming in" means that the parents stay in a room out by the front desk and are able to have the baby in the room. We were to take care of all her needs on our own, but just in case we needed some sort of help from the nurses, they were right there. Basically Jayson and I took care of our little angel on Sautrday night, October 3rd, until the morning of October 5th. We all did a good job! Jayson and I got to learn all Sydney's little noises that she makes at night and got to learn about being parents! Something we waited so long to do. Just be close to our little girl and to care for her all the time. It was a really fun time and definitely a learning experience! I can't believe how fast everything moved at the end of Sydney's hospital stay. Ok, so the exciting news, if you haven't heard already, Sydney finally got to come home on Monday, October 5th! She was discharged from the hospital weighing 5lbs and 12oz! Sydney is about 18in long and amazingly only has a pelvic kidney and just might be missing a rib(which doesn't really matter). But she had such a long stay and had to develop, and I can't believe that period in her little life is over now. She is home! It was very exciting and somewhat like a dream to walk out of that hospital carrying Sydney in her car seat for the first time. We were actually walking out the hospital doors with our little girl. Praise the Lord! She is simply a blessing from God! We are very excited that she is home now! So let's see... the last few days have been fun, trying to learn her habits! And also being initiated into parenthood by changing her first diaper at home and having her pee all over and then by having some sleepless nights. Ok, 3 hours of sleep per night. I guess that's better than nothing. :) One thing is for sure, she likes to sleep, eat and to be held! Thank you all for the prayers! We can't thank you enough! And again, Prasie the Lord for he is good! He brought little Sydney home, healthy and perfect as can be!

Doctor Check-ups!

2009-09-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

And this picture is from Thursday when it was Daddy's 28th birthday! Of course we all had to celebrate together! Love you Sydney, good night!

Here is Sydney after taking her bottle and spending a little time with Mommy and Daddy! She took 19ml tonight from the bottle and then was very tired. She will get it! I know she will! She is simply out for the night in this picture!

This was from tonight! Let's see...Sydney lately has been really hungry at the time of her feeds! She tends to put her hands in her mouth and really sucks on her binky and is ready for her food! She also peed while I was attempting to change her diaper. Therefore we had to change it again and change into a new outfit! Always fun for mom to do!

Miss Sydney taking a bottle from her Daddy! She did well this night!

Here's Miss Sydney all bundled up for the day! The other big thing that Sydney needs to accomplish before she comes home is being able to breath fully on her own. The nasal canula has to go! She is very close to doing this, so this is another prayer request. Pray that she is able to breathe on her own soon.

Sydney is doing much better at taking a bottle to feed! This is one huge thing that she has to accomplish before going home. She has to be able to either bottle or breastfeed in order to go home. So please pray that she masters her "eating" soon! We have to say "good-bye" to her feedingtube. :)

Sydney has steadily gained weight this week at an average of 1.5oz per day. Therefore she is now weighing in at 4lbs 15oz! Wow! I cannot believe how much she has grown!

Miss Sydney is now 7 weeks old, as of Wednesday!

Well this week has been pretty busy for Miss Sydney as she continues to improve! Sydney had a few doctors visit her this week. One checked her kidneys and they're great. I spoke to the doctor about her pelvic kidney and the normal one and he said that as of now, they're normal and she should live a healthy life. Sydney will just have to go visit the doctor a few times within the next couple of years to be sure that her kidney is growing properly. Sydney also had her hearing checked, and it too was normal! Another doctor visited Miss Sydney for her eyes and although she is still premature, he said her eyes are normal, but he would just like to see her in 3 weeks. So everything is good there! Sydney also had a a spinal ultrasound and chest x-ray. And what do ya know, those checked out normal as well! Praise the Lord! All these check-ups and they all checked out!

Both Grandmas visited on Sunday and Bath Time Happened on Monday!

2009-09-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Tucking Miss Sydney in for the night. We put a little bow in her hair and everything! She is now 4lbs 7oz! She is growing quite well and beginning to take a bottle pretty well too!

Daddy and Sydney!

Daddy talking to Sydney. She was so happy and really enjoyed her bath tonight!

And now for the big rinse!

See, she has her eyes on Daddy.

Jayson is shampooing Sydney's hair. She loved it! She kept watching Jayson the entire time.

This is after her bath while we are trying to dress her. The nurse snapped a quick family picture for us! Thanks Nurse Sue!

Ok Sydney, you ready? Here we go into the water.

Monday = Bath Time!
A big stretch! Miss Sydney is getting ready for her first bath! Finally!

The reason why she hasn't had a bath until now is because she wasn't able to maintain her temperature. Even though she is able to maintain it now, we had to use a heat lamp that is over the sink to help keep her warm.

It was a Grandma visiting day for Sydney! Grandma Nancy came for a visit in the evening and we put this cute bow on for a picture (of course)! We also put a bumble beed shirt and some pink pants on for the first time. The pants are kind of difficult to put on because of all the leads and things that Sydney has hooked up to her. But I got them on eventually!

And now, sound to sleep! Doesn't she look so cozy?!

Grandma Brigitte came for a visit early in the day and got to hold Sydney for the first time! Grandma patted her and talked to her as she held her. Miss Sydney slept for most of the time, but when Grandma talked to her she would open her eyes!

Kisses from Mommy! Such a sweetie!

Smiling on Sunday! Just a happy little girl!

Even though she did not burp, it was good practice and a good effort.

Jayson giving Sydney a bottle! Good job Daddy!

Just looking around!

These were some pictures from this past Saturday! Jayson and I went in for a visit and we put our little girl in a polka-dot outfit! So cute! Grandma Brigitte made her a new hat which matched very well. Daddy took a turn at giving Miss Sydney a bottle. She did pretty well that day. And then he burped her for his first time too!

Milsten Family Photo

2009-09-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

A Milsten family picture! Miss Sydney is now 4lbs 2oz! We are so proud of her and are amazed at how far she has come!

Daddy and I came to visit this evening. She was sleeping so soundly that it took us awhile to wake her up. Apparently she's a deep sleeper! We did her care and changed her into a new outfit and hat. Sydney tried to breast feed and then tried to take a bottle again. These are things that we are slowly introducing to her. She is still learning how to put it all together. She is doing a good job at everything though. We are trying to get her to learn new things without over-stimulating her. If we did that then she could take a step or two backwards.

Sydney is still in her crib and is maintaining her temperature really well. This afternoon when I went in, a few of Sydney's neighbors (other babies in the same room) were getting ready to move out. She will have some new neighbors soon. In the future Sydney will be the one that is moving out of the room, but for now she just needs to keep on developing. Sydney and I had a great visit this afternoon!

I went to go visit Miss Sydney in the early afternoon again. I have been so used to Sydney being on her canula that I didn't notice that she was back on it. She was only off of it for 24 hours and the nurse this morning thought that she needed to be on it still. She may have a little bit of reflux, but we'll see what the doctors think on Monday. If it's reflux, it may be interfering with her breathing. She would be concentrating on the wrong thing. I think. It may just be that Sydney is on the canula for a couple of more days. But we will soon see.

What a BIG day in the life of lttle Sydney!

2009-09-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

Oh and one more thing... Sydney is 4lbs now!!! Way to go Sydney! She is growing and growing and we just can't wait to have her home! Sydney sure did make a lot of progress today! She is truly such a sweet bundle of joy and we can't wait for everyone to meet her! Good night Sydney Girl! Love you! Kisses from Mommy!

Sydney was doing so well tonight and was keeping warm, that Grandma Nancy got to hold her for a little bit! They both enjoyed this! Sydney was so excited that she ended up getting the hiccups! Did you know that placing another blanket on a baby when they have hiccups, actually helps the hiccups go away? Well, it's true! They did in fact go away! Grandma Nancy had fun rocking her little grand-daughter as she talked to her the whole time. Sydney slept really well and did all her smiles as she does!

It looks as though I was crying, but I really wasn't! This is me and Sydney tonight when I went to visit her with Grandma Nancy. Sydney did really well in between my visits today and so that made me happy. She was tolerating everything and no other scares took place! YEAH! The nurse tonight had taken off the stickers that were on her cheeks and taped her feeding tube really well. She was all cleaned up and looked great! Not only did Sydney try to breast feed again tonight, but we also introduced a bottle! She did ok, but now needs to learn that swallow part of feeding, while still breathing! She's a smart cookie and I know that she will put all of it together here soon!

So yesterday Miss Sydney was 6 weeks old and I forgot to actually take a picture with her little "6 weeks old sign." So we took the picture today. She really is doing well. But Jayson and I had a little reminder of just how little she is...today she was trying to have a bowel movement, get her feed and had accomplished all these new things, and well her breathing slowed down a little too much. So, she did turn a little blue, but the nurses were there to take care of her. They instantly gave her some oxygen by placing a little mini mask right by her nose and she came back up to where her breathing should be. So like I said, this is just a reminder that yet she is improving each and every day, she is still teeny and not fully developed yet. Please keep her on your prayer list!

"Hmmm..." I think that is what she is thinking in this picture! Who knows. But this is a great shot of Miss Sydeny without her CANULA! The nurse last night just happened to mention that they were weaning her off of the canula starting just last night. And what do you know, she did it! She doesn't need all that help breathing any more! This is why you can see her nose so well. Now the other tube that is still in her nose, that is her feeding tube. It used to be in her mouth and now is in her nose. Not having that tube any more will be the next big step for Sydney.

Daddy and Mommy came for a visit early in the afternoon today! And to our surprise, Sydney had made it into a CRIB! That's right a crib! Prior to today she was in an isolet because she could not maintain her temperature, but today she was in a crib, proving that she can maintain her temp! She is on the lower end of where they'd like to see her (at 36.5 degrees C) but since she is still gaining weight, she will soon be a little warmer I'm sure. Just one small step to getting home!
*Daddy was very excited to see his little girl today! *

SYDNEY IS 6 WEEKS OLD!

2009-09-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

Another thing that Sydney might be off of tomorrow by the time that Jayson and I go to visit is, her canula! This is the clear breathing device in her nose that helps her to breathe. They began to wean her off of it this afternoon! They bumped her down to 1liter and then tonight at midnight they bumped her down to 1/2 liter. So, please pray that she does well these last few hours so that she does not need it any more by noon tomorrow. I was just telling Jayson last night that I noticed that she really is hating having it on. She is constantly pulling at it and pulling it off! This will be such a relief for her when she is without it!

And here she is tonight! Grandm Nancy met me up at the hospital and went in for a visit! Sydney is 6 weeks old today! She is now 3lbs 14oz! She is now NOT on caffiene any more (sorry Auntie Sarah). This is showing that she doesn't need that extra boost to help stimulate her brain to remember to breathe and all that the caffiene helps with. Therefore, she is doing better!

Here she is with Daddy! I like to try to get pictures with Jayson in them too, or some sort of something to compare her size to. So if you know Jayson, then you may be able to compare her size to him!

Daddy and I came back for a visit last night and did her care. Then she was all tuckered out just after her feed! Oh and I wonder if anyone noticed the new hat! :) We also weighed her and she was still at 3lbs 13oz. She had gained 10 grams, but it wasn't enough to put her up an ounce. She really did have a good day yesterday~! Oh and one other thing, it was either this day or the day before that they increase her caffiene a little because she was gaining weight and they needed it to be adjusted due to that weight gain.

Possibly one of the cutest pictures ever! It's a little blurry, but it was so cute that I just had to post it! So this was from earlier yesterday when I went to visit. Miss Sydney was so alert and awake! It sure was a lot of fun to hold her! She did really well sucking on her binkie! So at least one of the 3 things is progressing. Now it's just a matter of putting it all together (sucking, swallowing and breathing) at the same time, all the time! She will get there!

3lbs 13oz! ! !

2009-09-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

9/07/09: Tonight Miss Sydney came in weighing 3lbs 13oz! She is now getting so close to the 4lb marker! Crazy! It feels like she just hit 3lbs. Again she is doing well. She is still working on trying to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time, and I know with a little more practice she will soon figure it out! Until tomorrow...

Let me tell ya... it's just so easy to sit and stare at your baby! They're so cute and end up doing the littlest things that you don't want to miss!

Daddy took a little video of Miss Sydney! It is shortly after she ate, so she is sleepy! But you too can catch a little smile from Sydney!

Notice anything different?

2009-09-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

Kisses! Isn't this so sweet! Daddy kissing his little girl good night! See you tomorrow baby girl!

Here is a little better angle. You can actually see her chin now, and her she seems to keep her mouth closed a lot more. Oh and yes, she does seem a little puffy. The nurses say that she is a little swollen, and that it's totally normal. Jayson and I will be reading up on that tonight, if we can find it in our book.

...her new feeding tube!!!! Check it out! Sydney now has her feeding tube going in her nose, rather than her mouth. It is running along side the canula. Hopefully you can see it. The benefits to having it in her nose are that she can bottle or breast feed easier. She can now use her tongue to suck... so we'll start working on these too things in the near future! Like I said, she has been really calm and breathing well with the tube in her nose! Also, this feeding tube gets changed once a month, rather than the mouth feeding tubes that get changed every three days. Therefore it should be more comfortable for her all the way around.

Daddy admiring his beautiful little daughter, Sydney! She was very calm today and seems to be more relaxed due to...

Caffeine test and Pulling out the canula!

2009-09-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

And what do you know...pulling the canula off again! A little later the nurse was trying to fix the sticker things on her cheeks because they were falling off (the stickers help to hold the canula in her nose). Once she was finished, Sydney pulled the canula out again! Ha ha ha!

"Oh! I have hands!!!" She was sucking really well on this orange, "newborn" binkie today. It's much bigger than the green, "preemie" one. She was very hungry when we got there today and then very calm and sweet when I held her today!

Looking up! And a profile view!

A big yawn while looking so cute in her yellow duckie outfit!

Here she is showing off the lungs she has! It's fun for us to hear her cry! We just don't get to hear her cry at all. Believe me, we can't wait to be hearing her cry at home! Not a common thing that parents say.

Caffeine test! Well, actually it's a blood test to test the level of caffeine in Sydney's blood. She did pretty well! She would cry, or sort of scream, and then calm down and be just fine!

This one is so sweet! We dressed her up in yellow today!

This happens to be one of my new favortive pictures! "OH!"

Grandma Nancy enjoys taking pictures of me admiring my little daughter! Obviously Sydney just makes me smile!

Each time she feeds she does these quick smiles! Which we try to catch on camera, and we thoroughly enjoy!

So a few days have passed by now. There hasn't been too much to update on, but Miss Sydney still continues to grow! She gains 20 to 40 grams a day, which means she is now 3lbs 7oz! She is still trying to maintain her temp and also wean off the canula. Believe it or not, this is a lot for her to do at the same time and still continue to gain weight. As she keeps packing on the "ounces" she will get bigger, then somewhat insolating her so that she can maintain that temp of hers. Just "baby-steps" and a day at a time. Over all she is doing well- - as usual. Sydney has been on a small dose of caffeine since she was born pretty much. This helps to stimulate her brain to help her remember to breathe and that type of thing. It's a common thing that is given to preemies. This last week they had to draw some blood to test her caffiene levels. Normally the nurses and doctors like to see the levels between 10 and 20. Sydeny's leves were 11.1. Good, but they might have to up her level a little. We'll see. As she grows, the dose she gets should increase. So we'll see what happens next. Sydney has had just two destats within the last few days, which is a great improvement! She does well on the canula, but we are noticing that she hates it more each day! You'll see in the last posted picture that she is pulling it out! A common thing she does! So just a small update from the life of Sydney!

"Hi! Do you like my hat?"

2009-09-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

"Strike a pose!"

9/3/09: Daddy's girl!

"Hi everyone! Guess how much I weigh today? 3lbs 6oz!!!"

There's a little smile! Isn't she just so cute?!

"What do you think about my hat? Do you like it?" It's as though she is modeling this one!

5 weeks! Can you believe it?

2009-09-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

When we went to leave for the day we put her on her tummy and she ended up sucking on the blanket! She's working on her coordination so that she will be able to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time! Keep going Sydney!
Honestly, Sydney is doing really well! She is now 3lbs 4oz! She tends to need a little oxygen when she gets her feeds, which is normal. And other than that she just keeps growing and continues to get cuter every day!

9/02/09: Happy Birthday Sydney! She is now 5 weeks old! Grandma Brigitte and Angela went for a visit this morning! Good thing we changed her outfit after I held her...she ended up spitting up all over her outfit from the night before!

9/01/09: Miss Sydney is out for the night! Look at how relaxed she is!

9/01/09: We went in for another late night visit! Sydney did great while Jayson held her. Her little hat was sliding off in this picture. She came in weighing just under 3lbs 4oz.

Most recent update! Sydney has moved up in the world!

2009-09-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

And this was last night as we were kagarooing! She is just sleeping so soundly!

This was the modeling hat night! Jayson was making Sydney smile by making this noise. It looks as if they both were enjoying this!

Me and Sydney kangarooing again!
And now for tonight, August 31st... Sydney is trying to work on maintaining her temperature on her own. She has been living in an isolet (may have spelt that wrong) where it is set to a certain temp to help her maintain a temp anywhere between 36.5 and 37.2 ( I think). The setting on the isolet has been at it's lowest setting the past couple days, but today they had to raise it back up a little. So that is one thing she is working towards. Once she maintains her temp, she can then be placed in a crib. We got to weigh her tonight and she is now up to 3lbs 2.5oz! This is great! She has to keep gaining weight too as they wean her off of the extra heat. Also, each day we bring in breast milk for her feeds (that go down that green tube in her mouth). Since I am not there 24/7 and she is not quite able to "suck, swallow and breathe" all at the same time, breast feeding hasn't even been an option. But since she has been showing signs of "cueing" or "rooting" some nurses said to give "dry" breast feeding a try. And well, Miss Sydney (& mommy) did well for our first try. Sydney was able to latch on and begin to suck! The nurse said that she did a really good job for her first try! So, until tomorrow...sweet dreams Sydney and keep on growing!

Here is a cute picture of Sydney through the isolet window/door. She was very awake!

The next afternoon, August 30th, Jayson got to hold Sydney as she modeled a few new hats! I called the nurse to check on her later that night and to see what Sydney's weight was up to for the day. She of course was doing well and weighed in at 3lbs 1.5oz!

This was sometime last week, but it looks like she is praying!

And guess what happened on Saturday, August 29th? More good news! Sydney moved up to the ICN- Intermediate Care Nursury. What an accomplishment! We were so proud of her! That night that we visited her, I got to Kangaroo! Sydney did really well and seems very happy in her new room! It is very quite in he ICN and we are able to pull a curtain around us to have a little privacy while we visit.

August 28, 2009: Daddy and Sydney gave each other Eskimo kisses!!! This was a big day for Miss Sydney as she reached a milestone...she was 3lbs!!!! Way to go Sydney!

Here is Sydney just out for the night!

And a big yawn!

Doesn't she look so happy and like she is sticking out her tongue?

Grandma Nancy came to visit! We put a new outfit on that morning and a new hat that Grandma Brigitte made.

Check out the size of Jayson's finger compared to the length of Sydney's forearm! She is that teeny!

Here I am blowing kisses to all of you!

Alright! 4 weeks old today, August 26th! I guessed that Sydney would be 3lbs this day and she was NOT! She was just shy a couple of ounces. But daddy guessed that Friday she would be there and well... we'll see!

Here is a cute little picture of Miss Sydney snoozing!

Daddy is helping to weigh Miss Sydney on August 22! Basically we get to hold her up and spend a little time with her and then put her back down, then the bed weighs her. And guess who is on canula all the time now? She did it!

The grandmas came to visit in the E room! Sydney would grab onto each grandmas' fingers and then they all got to pose for a pic together! The E room was a big step for Sydney! It was the last stop before moving up to the next floor! Sydney is still on CPAP in this picture. But not for long!

I guess it's my turn to try this blog thing out! It's Angela... First of all, thank you all for the prayers, along with all the love and support that we have received through this last month! Well, a lot has happened in the last 10 days of Miss Sydney's life! I will try to summarize everything the best that I can, but keep in mind that I am a new mom and I'm very excited about our petite little girl. We have noticed that while Sydney is getting her feeds, she tends to do this smiling act. Most likely she's experiencing some gas or something like that, but as parents, we just consider it smiling for the first time. Also throughout this week, we've caught Sydney on camera while blowing kisses, praying, and of course sleeping!

New updates and Sydney's first video...

2009-08-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

So it's been a week or so since I last updated her blog. She's doing better than ever and we keep getting updates from the doctors that she keeps making positive steps in the right direction. She is now 2 lbs 10 ounces and on her way to 3 lbs! We continue to hold her every other day and sometimes every day for at least an hour or so. She tends to calm down so much she desats (loses oxygen) every once and awhile but she quickly recovers by herself. Sometimes she just doesn't take deep enough breaths which lowers her oxygen level. She is on nasal cannula for 8 hrs per day and cpap for the rest of the day. I think she enjoys the cannula much more! The nurses are really amazed at her progress and they think soon she will be upstairs in intermediate care which is a huge step in this process! Here is a little video I took on my camera.

Two weeks old!

2009-08-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

That's right Sydney turns two weeks old today. There is not much to report as she is keeps doing better every day. Angela was able to hold her again today and we got some good pics...We also changed her diaper and took her temp during her care this evening. It just gets harder to leave her but soon we know she will be home with us! On to the pics...

They call her "wild woman"

2009-08-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

08/10/2009

Another great day as we saw Sydney two times today! This evening Angela was able to kangaroo with Sydney again for almost two hours! She keeps doing better and better each day. She now weighs 2.4 lounds and has surpassed her birthweight! This is a big accomplishment! She is also breathing room air (has for awhile now) and is on the lowest setting for cpap. She is able to breath with a nasal cannula when she kangaroos. The nurses say she is almost ready to come off of cpap in the next day or two. She could possibly be moving to a less intensive area within the next week or so. One of our nurses is amazed at her progress and how well she tolerates her feeds. The only small setback is that she occasionally has apneas and bradycardias very common for her gestational age. These episodes will eventually go away with time and as her nervous system matures. She seemed very alert tonight and even held her own head up to look at her mom. She had her eyes open almost the whole time. She is also being fed the max (18ml) of mom's milk with supplemental calories to gain weight a little faster. She is responding very well and gained 4 ounces in just a day in a half! Pretty soon she will hit the 3 lb mark! Here are some more pictures...

Kangaroo!

2009-08-08T00:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 08/06/09 Angela was able to spend some quality time with Sydney. For two hours she was able to hold her for the very first time! They call it kangaroo care just like a kangaroo holds it's baby in a pouch. The nurses encourage it and many studies have shown that it benefits babies in many ways including lowering their heart rate, helping them to calm down, relieve stress and have fewer apneas (periods where premies forget to breathe) common for premies at her gestational age. Today was supposed to be my turn to hold her but the nurses advised to wait another day as her temp last time dropped almost a degree. Also common because they're so small and have no fat yet stored up to maintain their temperature. Pictures below...

Miracle after miracle...

2009-08-08T00:31:00.000-07:00

08/07/09:I just want to update everyone on her progress. We found out Wednesday August 5th the results of her brain ultrasound. This is a standard utrasound that is performed on all premies especially ones under less than 34 weeks gestation. IVH or bleeds in the brain are somewhat common but most are harmless or very minor and usually go away on there own. Sometimes they can be severe and can cause for alarm but once again our prayers were answered! The doctor said everything looks normal and no bleeds were found. Most bleeds occur within the first 3-5 days of birth so this is great news that none were found! Another ultrasound is scheduled at 28 days after birth looking more at the brain tissue to see if there is any damage but things look promising that she will be just fine. Also wanted to note that she is feeding on mom's milk and they keep increasing the doses by 3 ml almost every other day! She has lost a little weight but this is normal for both premies and full term newborns to lose a little weight the first week or two. She will be at her birth weight hopefully early this week. She's also digestion the milk which is another good sign that her intestines are working as with most premies at this age their digestive systems are not supposed to be fully functional. With a little food and a sepository she had her first bowel movement the third day after she was born! Now it's a normal finding!

Isn't she lovely...

2009-08-08T00:22:00.001-07:00

So as this week comes to an end I'd like to update everyone on what's going on with Sydney...right after she was born she was gone just like that! I took a quick picture of her and it was over. They finished the c-section on Angela and we both went to the recovery room. I decided to leave Angela for a moment to update our family and friends waiting for us patiently in the waiting room. I came out clapping as I was told (I forgot that I actually did that) I guess because I was so happy that Sydney was breathing on her own, eyes open, and wimpering all by herself. I quickly annnounced how well she was doing and her birth weight 2.2 lbs! There were tears of joy and our prayers were answered! At 27 weeks the lungs are not fully developed so this was a good sign! Awhile later once all the excitement wore off I was able to go and see Sydney in the NICU. She looked surprising well for being about 45 min old. Her Apgar score was actually pretty good. At 1 minute after she is born doctors evaluate her vital signs like respiration, skin color, heartbeat, etc. The highest score is a 10 which is near impossible to receive. She got a 7 and then 5 minutes later a 9. I was able to take some pictures and see that she was on a CPAP machine. It is actually better than being on a ventilator because she does all the breathing on her own, wheras a ventilator forces air inside the lungs in order to help you breathe. Most babies at this age are on a ventilator so this was a good sign. I quickly left her to show pics to everyone still waiting. Of course being on CPAP covers most of her face so it's hard to capture a good description. After about an hour or so Angela was able to see her from the hospital bed as nurses wheeled her in to the NICU. She was happy to meet her little girl! I was happy that both of them were stable and on the road to recovery! Here are some pictures we took over the last few days...

The Journey Begins...

2009-08-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

07/29/09: Baby Sydney Adair Milsten enters the world at 2 lbs 2 oz and just over 14" long at 27 weeks and 6 days. We never imagined our pregnancy ending this way but this is how God planned it and we trust in his timing and have faith in his promises. We hit our first bump in the road at around 20 weeks during the pregnancy during our first ultrasound. We waited about a week for the results and I received a call from Angela crying on the phone telling me that one of Sydney's kidneys looked to have cysts inside it. I was a little shocked to but thought well if that's all they found then that's not to bad but unfortunately this was just the beginning. Our next ultrasound we had was almost 4 weeks later at Tacoma General fetal medicine clinic. They looked at not only the kidney but other areas and took measurements. The doctor told us it looked like fluid built up in the kidney but no cysts. Good news we thought until we met with the genetic counselor following the ultrasound. During the ultrasound they found two other problem areas. One was the ventrilcles in the brain which were enlarged slightly at 11mm. Normal is 10mm or less. Also echogenic bowel which looks like a bright spot on the ultrasound. This can be associated with many problems like Cystic Fibrosis, infections, diseases, or Down Syndrome. Because of the three markers that were found (the kidney, the ventricles in the brain, echogenic bowel) there is a greater risk for Down Syndrome because these are all soft markers associated with Downs. Of course this was hard to hear coming from such knowledgeable people. We were pretty upset for a couple days but as the days went on it became clear to me that things were going to be just fine. I felt God speaking to me and reassuring me that she was going to be healthy. Of course the real test of our faith started on Saturday July 25th. By now Angela was 27 weeks along. She was starting to feel different than before. Nausea and vomitting after eating, swelling in the legs, hands, and face, and quick weight gain. We decided to check her blood pressure and I'm glad we did. It was very high at 175/95! We checked it a few times and decided it was best for her to go to the hospital. It was even higher there which is expected but it stayed high. Doctors decided to put her on Magnesium sulfate which prevents sezuires. They thought it was possible she was developing Pre-Eclampsia. She was given steroids to help the baby's lungs develop just in case. She was at Good Sam for a couple days and the doctors then decided to take her off the magnesium and send her home even though she had most of the symptoms of Pre Eclampsia. She also had high proteins in her urine which meant her kidneys were not functioning normally. Doctors then decided to send her to Tacoma General where the care is much better suited for high risk pregnancies. They determined she did have Pre Eclampsia and that the only cure is delivery of the baby. For a couple days Angela got continually worse until they woke us up early Wednesday Morning, July 29th and said it was time to do an emergency C-section because her liver enzymes had skyrocketed! What a crazy last few days! It was pretty intimidating going into the the operating room. I just held her hand and continued to reassure her. Pretty soon I heard the wimpering of Sydney as they pulled her from the womb. She had her eyes open and was breathing on her own! Our prayers were answered. I snapped a quick photo and she was taken quickly to the NICU. This is how our journey started and I will continue to update the status of our little Sydney.